Metallic railway tie



Fatented Nov. 13, 1923.

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METALLIC RAIL'NAY TIE.

Application filed February 12, 1923. Serial ,No. 618,620.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. STEEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVilliamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in member, the cross section of which is such that it may be entirely rolled to shape, separate rail engaging and gauge fixing lugs, and

separate wedge engaging abutments formed I from rolled metal bars.

The novelty in the invention resides in certain details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts, which are hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying draw- 111g.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification v Figure 1 is a perspective view of one end portion of a tie constructed in accordance with the present invention, .showing a rail secured in place thereon;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, except that the rail and wedge for holding the latter tight are omitted;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of one end portion of the tie, showing a rail secured thereon;

Fig. 4: is a transverse sectional View of atie taken substantially on the plane indicated by the line 44 of Fig. 3'; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, on a greatly reduced scale, of a complete tie constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in which similar reference characters are used to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 1- designates the body portion of the improved tie. This is straight fromend to end and has its longitudinal edges turned or bent downwardly to provide parallel supporting and strengthening ribs 2, the latter forming upon the lower-or under-side of the body member 1 a longitudinally extending channel The channeled body member 1 is made of metal, preferably of high carbon steel, and is preferably rolled into shape. The longitudinal ribs 2 are inclined outwardlyfrom their upper edge portions to their lower edges, and their lowe edge portions are thickened in such a manner as to form beads 4.. The beads 1, which are thicker than the normal thickness of the ribs 2, are formed by the thickening of the lower edge portions of the ribs from the. outer sides only of the same.

Disposed upon the upper side of the body member 1 and located adjacent to but spaced slightly inwardly from the ends of the same, are rail engaging lugs 5, which'also serve as gauge fixing lugs. These lugs 5 have base portions 6 which rest flat upon the upper side of thebod'y member 1, and they also have upwardly but slightly inclined rail base-flange engaging portions 7 adapted to engage the inner base flanges of rails.

Disposed beyond the end of the body memher 1 and extending above the same, that is, extending to a point located above the plane of the upper side of the base member,

are hook-like wedge engaging abutments 8. These abutments constitute the curved end portions of substantially J-shaped members 9 having straight portions '10, which constitutev the bases for the hook-like abutments 8. I

The straight portions lOof the substan tially J-shaped members; 9 are disposed beneath the body member 1 in the end portions of the channel 3. The edges of the portions 10 engage the inner sides of the ribs 2, so that the members 9' cannot shift transversely in the channel 3.

The substantially J-shaped members 9 V are bent from straight metal bars, which are rolled specially at their edges so that they conform to the shape of the lower or underside of the channeled body member 1.

The rail engaging and gauge fixing lugs 5 and the substantially J-shaped members 9, constituting separate pieces of material from the body member 1, are rigidly secured to the latter by suitable securing elements. Preferably a single rivet 11 is passed through each of the lugs 5, the body member of railways, but since they may be made with tomparatively narrow and shallow channeled body members they find special application in connection with mine railways, where light weight ties are desirable and where ties provided with a quiclr and easy-to operate rail engaging means are desirable. V

In using the improved tie, it is the intention to place it directly upon a mine floor and to arrange the rails R of the mine railway track upon the end portions of the body member lot the tie 'so that the inner basefianges of the rails will be engaged by the upwardly inclined portions 7 of the lugs 5.

After this has been done wooden wedges 13 may be driven between the web portions of the rails and the hook-like abutment's 8 to securely clamp the rails to the end portions of the tie and at the proper distance apart.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection. with the accompanying drawing, the construction, use and advantages of the invention will be readily understood.

It is obvious that various changes in form, proportion, and in various details or" construction may be made without departing from the spirit and principle of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and hence it is to be understood that such may be done within the meaning and scope of the appended claims.

Vhat is claimed is p v 1. In a metallic railway tie, a straight body member provided on its lower side with a longitudinally extending channeha separate rail engaging lug disposed upon the upper side of said body member and located adjacent but spaced slightly inwardly from one end of the latter to engage the inner base flange of a rail, a separate J-shaped member having its straight portion disposed in the end portion of said channel and its curved portion extending beyond the end of said body member and above the latter, means for securing said lug and said ilshaped member to said body member, the curved portion of said ll-shaped member being spaced from said lug, and a wedge to against the inside of the curved portion of said ti -shaped member to hold a rail'in engagement with said lug.

2. A metallic railway tie comprising a straight body member having its lower side provided with a longiti nally extending channel, separate rail en aging lugs disposed upon the upper side of said body member and located adjacent but spaced slightly inwardly from the ends of the latter for engagement with the inner base-flanges of rails, separate substantially J-shaped members having straight portions disposed in the end portions of said channel and curved portions extending beyond the ends of said body member and abovethe latter in spaced relation to said lugs to form wedge engaging abutments, and a single securing element passing through each of said lugs,

said body member and each of said sub stantially ilshaped members and rigidly securing these parts together.

3. A metallic railway tie comprising a straight body member having its longitudinal edges downturned to form longitudinal supporting and strengthening ribs'and a channel on the lower side thereof, separate rail engaging lugs disposed upon the upper side of said body member and located adjacent but spaced slightly inwardly "from the ends of the latter for engagement with the inner base-flanges of rails, separate hooklilze wedge engaging abutments extending above said body member and spaced outwardly from said lugs and having straight base portions disposed beneath said body member in said channel, the longitudinal edges of the base portions of said abutments raging the inner sides of said ribs where to prevent transverse shifting of said abutments in said channel, and a single securing element passing through each of said lugs, said body member and the base portion of each of said abutments and rigidly securing these parts together.

In testimony whereof .l haveliereunto allixed my signature.

CHARLES C, STEEL. 

